In a conventional extendable table, i.e. a table including removable leafs, the table is provided with underside tracks along which the table parts slide and which provide support for the leafs when they are inserted in the table.
In any extendable table design, the tracks limit the length to which the table can be extended. In an outdoor patio table, which is typically made of a resin such as vinyl, the track is made of aluminum which does not weather as well as the resin and which adds substantially to the cost of the table.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,146,855 and 3,714,906 show specific table designs where a leaf is removably trapped between two tables separated by the leaf. The leaf is contoured to mate with the edge of the tables.
In each of the above Patents, a separate structure is required for supporting the leaf which both complicates and adds to the cost of the table extension.